


The One Who Will Save Us All

by wednesdays__child



Category: Criminal Minds, Zombies Run!
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Sexual Favors, Zombie Apocalypse, possibly disturbing imagery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:24:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9376619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wednesdays__child/pseuds/wednesdays__child
Summary: Runner 5 always did things on her own. She liked it that way. That was until she was approached by a handsome man and his partner with a request. One that intrigued the silent, secretive woman.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Picture Perfect Writing Challenge. I wasn't going to do this particular one but this bunny bit and I couldn't resist.
> 
> Unbetaed - sorry. All mistakes are my own. 
> 
> Set in Season 1 of Zombies Run! And sometime after Season 7 of Criminal Minds.

Danica sat at the empty table in the commissary, staring at the food on her tray. One thing she had learned in her time at Abel Township was that being a vegetarian in the zombie apocalypse was difficult. Today’s menu consisted mostly of a stew of squirrel and deer, something she would never touch, so it was mashed potatoes, greens and bread. Again.

Slowly, she lowered the scarf she had wrapped around the lower half of her face, making sure that her hood remained up. Sure, the scar that lead from the right corner of her mouth toward her ear would be partially visible, but most people already knew that was why she always wore something over her face. They didn’t know what she was really hiding from them.

As she took the first bite of her food, she felt eyes on her. Looking across at the other table, she saw the two mysterious men who always kept to themselves. She had seen them before, had even inquired about what they did here at Abel, but no one seemed to know. And that was curious.

Everyone had a job at Abel. It was the only way they let you in, let you survive. You had to contribute, give back somehow or you were turned away. It might sound harsh but that was the way of the world now. Only the strong can survive against the undead – and against the living who want what you have.

Danica was a runner. Runner Five to be exact. Her helicopter had crash landed in the woods of rural Virginia and she had luckily come across a headset that led her here. Her skill at staying ahead of the zombie hordes and collecting needed supplies and intel had made her a favorite of the Major. Danica was happy to be part of the Runner Team. It got her out of the township and kept her secret safe. When you have something someone else wants, they are always more willing to let things slide.

But these two staring at her now? She’d never seen them _do_ anything. They weren’t farmers or hunters. They didn’t man the gates. They didn’t work in the comms booth or with the Med Team. It was **curious**.

The older man glared at her, his scowl was harsh but his eyes were kind, as if they were taking in everything about her. The younger was thin and lanky but showed a sort of deceptive strength, like he would take you by surprise if you tried anything against him. Danica almost felt like he was reading her like a book. It made her skin itch.

Suddenly they stood and made their way toward her. Danica panicked for a moment, unsure of what to do. She had hardly talked to anyone outside of missions other than Sam and the Major. Runners were considered special, in a league of their own, and they usually kept to themselves. She quickly finished her food before pulling the scarf back up over her nose just as the two men sat down. They stared at each other for several longs moments before the older man spoke.

“You’re Runner Five.”

Danica was unsure if it was a question or a statement but she nodded anyway, silently answering the question.

“I need you to do something for me.”

This was nothing new. She got requests all the time. People always wanted something: a set of batteries for their radio, a fresh pair of shorts or a sports bra, maybe a can of peaches if you can find them. Some of the Runners made a good trade smuggling items past the checkpoints after a mission. Danica didn’t like to do that though. She was loathe to attract any extra attention her way.

Still, she found these men interesting so she was willing to hear more.

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice rough and soft from disuse.

The older man leaned in closer, putting on a smile like he was pretending to flirt. Once he was but a hairbreadths away, he whispered, “I need you to get me a gun.”

Danica gasped, sitting straight up as her eyes darted back and forth between the two men. They couldn’t be serious. The Major was very specific on who could be armed and she would never allow two random men inside the facility to have a gun. How would Danica even sneak it in? She suddenly thought that maybe she was dealing with two very dangerous people. Still she leaned forward once again.

“Why should I?” she asked, leveling her own stare back at them.

“I’m afraid we didn’t introduce ourselves,” the younger man said, leaning in again. “I’m sorry about that. He sometimes forgets his manners. I’m Dr. Spencer Reid and this is Aaron Hotchner.”

Danica gasped again. She really didn’t like being caught off guard and these two were doing that quite regularly today. Of course she had heard of Aaron Hotchner – more specifically, she had heard the rumors about his son, Jack Hotchner.

Jack Hotchner – the boy who survived, the immune one, the one who might save us all.

Curiouser and curiouser.

She smiled and nodded. “We need to talk but not here.”

Aaron and Spencer looked at each other, obviously having a silent conversation between them before they turned back to her. Aaron smiled a blinding smile and Danica felt her pulse begin to race. No man in this godforsaken brave new world deserved that look that beautiful. He reached up and brushed a stray strand of her black-grey hair from in front of her eyes.

“Why don’t we take this someplace a little more private?” he asked, his voice just loud enough to carry across the open room. There were a lot of hook-ups at Abel, it was an open secret, and when all you had to trade was your body, you did what you had to do. No one would blink an eye at the three of them slinking off to their room, although she was sure the rumor mill would be churning before her next mission. She was sure to get an earful from Sam.

She giggled as she stood, as odd a sound as she had made since the last day she cried. She couldn’t remember doing either in a very long time, but that was just as well in this world. Aaron reached over and took her hand in his as he led her from the commissary and out to the family sleeping quarters. They reached a locked door, another oddity in Abel, and gently directed her inside once it was open.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Danica heard a boy shout, “Dad! Papa!”

Aaron knelt down in time to catch the bundle of boy that launched himself at his father. That smile was back and Danica knew she was intruding on something, a sweet family moment and she felt so out of place. As she watched, the boy turned to Spencer and gave him the same treatment. They were a family, as plain a thing as she had ever seen, and her heart broke a little more from her own loss, for those she missed.

Then the boy was looking at her.

“Who is this?” he asked.

“This is…” Aaron started before stopping suddenly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name and I probably shouldn’t just be calling you Runner Five.”

“It’s okay,” she answered, smiling despite herself. “That’s what everyone calls me here. But it’s Danica if you must know.”

“Can I call you Dani?” the boy asked eagerly.

“No,” she snapped, no one had called her Dani, not since…before.

“Okay,” the boy said sadly, before making his way to the chair in the corner. She tried to feel bad for hurting the boy’s feelings but she past worrying about what other people felt, she had been for a long time now.

She turned and squared off against the two men now staring at her with contempt. “You want a gun. Why?”

“We’re leaving,” Aaron said, as if that answered everything. It did not. The Major never forced anyone to stay. It was considered a privilege to live someplace safe, where you had food and walls and people to look out for you.

“Why?” she questioned again.

“Show her,” Aaron commanded.

“Come on, Jack-Jack,” Spencer whispered softly as he helped the boy stand. Slowly, he unzipped the boy’s hoodie, pulling off the long sleeves before removing the boy’s shirt. Spencer then walked the boy over until he stood before Danica. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to cry.

The first thing she saw was the missing part of the boy’s shoulder, teeth marks and scar tissue showing where he had been bitten. The flesh had been torn away, leaving a divot above the boy’s collarbone up toward his neck. The bite mark was small, probably made by a child not much younger than himself. She didn’t want to think how awful that must have been. The next thing she noticed was the wounds, surgical cuts, two inch and two inch squares carved out of his skin, leaving the muscle beneath exposed. Testing. They were doing testing on him. He had multiple spots, even more bruises and uncountable puncture marks.

They were trying to find a cure and they were torturing this young boy to do it.

Danica closed her eyes against the sight of it. It was too much. It was her worst nightmare.

She looked at the three of them and knew what she had to do. Slowly, she pulled back her hood and removed her ever-present scarf. She heard the gasp. She felt the Doctor’s tentative fingers brush her scars.

“You too?” Jack whispered.

“Me too,” she replied.

Spencer’s fingers traced the scar from the corner of her mouth that led up to where her right ear used to be, down the side of her neck where her boyfriend had sank his teeth and pulled, removing flesh and skin and blood, nearly tearing out her throat.

“How?” Spencer asked. When she looked at him confused, he clarified. “How did you get past the Med Inspection Team?”

Everyone who came through the gates had to be inspected by a member of the Med Team, even after a mission.

“I always make sure to get the same team,” she explained. “And men after the zombie apocalypse are very similar to men before the zombie apocalypse. Most are willing to look the other way for quick blowjob or two.”

Spencer shuddered and she knew they were all too familiar with this new world order. You did what you had to do to survive.

But these men had come here for safety, for shelter, and instead their son was being hurt, tortured, experimented on and they had no way to stop it.

But Danica did.

“What kind of gun do you want?” she asked.

Aaron smiled. It was dark and deadly and Danica knew that he would get them out, would protect them with all he had.

“I’ll take whatever you can find, hopefully with a large cache of ammunition. And one for Spencer too, if you can swing it.”

It would be tough. Getting the Med Team to look the other way was easy, it was just her body. But getting a weapon snuck in would be tougher, much less two. But looking at this small family, she knew it was something she **had** to do.

“Okay,” she whispered as she reached down to lightly touch Jack’s soft cheek. “It’ll take me some time, but I’ll get it.”

The two men stared at her for a long time, sizing her up, looking for any sign of deception. Seeing none, Aaron asked, “What do you want in return?”

Danica smiled as wide as her scars would let her.

“Simple,” she said, feeling hope for the first time in a long time. “Take me with you.”

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> So this is actually a game I play when I run. So far, I don't actually know what Danica's back story is so I made one for this challenge. It's actually a pretty fun game and keeps me motivated for my running workouts!


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